Glossary of Computer Terms

Computer Terms Glossary

This page is meant to serve as a guide to the vast
quantity of computer terms and acronyms in common use for the
casual computer user. It is divided into two main sections,
the first is dedicated to the basics and
is meant more for beginners, while the second is meant instead to be used as a
reference. In reality many of the terms in the second section
are still quite common; the first section was deliberately
kept as short as possible.

Terms in the second section may be looked up by either
using the "find in page" function of your browser, or by
appending "#term" (without the quotes and where
term is the term of interest) to the "URL" or "go
to" section of your browser, keeping in mind that case
matters. The best method of searching for a term though is
to use the Search
Interface that will return not only the specific term
sought but also other entries that reference it. Be aware
that the terms referenced in the second part of this page
will freely assume familiarity with the first part.

If you want something added or see a problem with
something already here (but keep in mind this guide is not
meant to be overly technical) please send .

Reference

queue

A queue is a waiting list of things to be processed. Many
computers provide printing queues, for example. If
something is being printed and the
user requests that another item
be printed, the second item will sit in the printer queue until the
first item finishes printing at which point it will be
removed from the queue and get printed itself.

QuickDraw

A high-level 3D graphicslibrary with an emphasis on
quick development time created by Apple.